Wang Wins Wylie, All-S.T.A.R. Graduate Fellowship

Clark School Fischell Department of Bioengineering (BioE) graduate student Martha Wang, advised by BioE professor and associate chair John Fisher, has been awarded an Ann G. Wylie Dissertation Fellowship and a University of Maryland Graduate School All-STAR Fellowship in recognition of her scholarship and research in tissue engineering treatments for load-bearing bone defects.

The Wylie fellowship, created for students who are in the final stages of writing their dissertations, includes a stipend of $10,000, candidacy tuition remission and financial assistance toward the cost of health insurance. The newly created All-S.T.A.R. (Scholarship, Teaching, Administration, Research) Fellowship, which provides a $10,000 stipend, recognizes graduate students who “…demonstrate both outstanding scholarship and must have made a significant contribution or impact while serving as a teaching assistant, research assistant, or administrative assistant.”

Wang, who earned her B.S. in chemical engineering and biomedical engineering from Carnegie Mellon University in 2004, conducts her research in Fisher’s Tissue Engineering and Biomaterials Laboratory. There, she works with a novel biomaterial called (poly(propylene fumarate) that can be used to heal large gaps and serious breaks in load-bearing bones, such as in the legs.

Wang’s research uses 3D printed poly(propylene fumarate) structures that may be designed to fit precisely into voids left by missing bone. These patches serve as scaffolds, or support structures, for the cultivation of adult stem cells. The stem cells are differentiated into bone cells within a bioreactor and loaded into the poly(propylene fumarate) scaffolds, which may then be implanted into a defect site. Once implanted in a patient, the stem cells continue to differentiate into bone cells, multiply and create a new bone matrix. Over time, the scaffold safely degrades as new, healthy bone takes its place, until the gap is filled and the wound is healed.

“My project is exciting as it combines many facets of tissue engineering–polymer engineering, 3D printing, bioreactors and stem cells–all into one project,” says Wang, who chose the Clark School for her graduate studies because she wanted to be part of Fisher’s team. “I also love the location,” she adds. “[It’s] close to Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, so there are many things to do outside of research.”

Wang has also been recognized for her work as an educator. She received the University of Maryland Center for Teaching Excellence’s Distinguished Teaching Assistant Award in 2012. In Fisher’s lab, she mentors undergraduate researchers.

“For the past 3 years I have had the pleasure of working with multiple undergraduates, including Joshua Thompson, recipient of [one of 2013’s] UMD Undergraduate Researcher of the Year [Awards], and Charlotte Vorwald,” she says. “They both have played significant roles in the success of our research.”

After earning her doctorate, Wang would like to return to a position in industry in which she can serve as a liaison between manufacturing, research and regulatory departments in the biotech field.

For more information on the Wylie and All-STAR Fellowships, visit the Graduate School’s fellowship page »

This article was taken from http://www.bioe.umd.edu/news/news_story.php?id=7398

Thompson Named 1 of 6 UMD Undergraduate Researchers of the Year

Clark School Fischell Department of Bioengineering (BioE) senior Joshua Thompson has been named one of the University of Maryland’s six Undergraduate Researchers of the Year by the Maryland Center for Undergraduate Research. Thompson, who was selected from a highly competitive group of nominees working in diverse fields throughout the university, was recognized for his accomplishments in tissue engineering. He received his award was introduced by his advisor, BioE professor and associate chair John Fisher, at the opening ceremony of the 2013 Undergraduate Research Day on May 1.

Thompson has worked for Fisher in the Tissue Engineering and Biomaterials Laboratory since the summer of 2010. He joined the group because he felt it would be a “unique and exciting opportunity” to prepare for a career in medicine.

“In addition to his outstanding research performance,” says Fisher, “Josh is known as a friendly and attentive worker who is ready to assist colleagues. He continually demonstrates his ability to quickly understand new concepts and master experimental techniques. He approaches his work with a high level of dedication. Overall, Josh has shown himself to be an excellent collaborator. I can confidently state that he ranks as one of the most gifted, qualified, and dedicated undergraduate researchers I have mentored.”

Thompson has distinguished himself in undergraduate research throughout his time at the Clark School.

In the fall of 2012, Thompson was named one of the UMD’s Philip Merrill Presidential Scholars. He also received a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Undergraduate Research Fellowship to support his study of the totoxicity of poly(propylene fumarate), a polymer with applications in bone tissue engineering; and a HHMI International Research Program Grant, which funded a semester abroad in Australia. There, at the University of Sydney, he worked with Professor Anthony Weiss, an expert in regenerative medicine and biomaterials.

In 2011, Thompson received the Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute’s Outstanding ASPIRE Research Award for his study of the efficacy of single component and multi component porous scaffolds as gene delivery devices for skeletal muscle regeneration, and subsequently co-authored a paper on the research that was published in Pharmaceutical Research, one of the top pharmacology journals.

This fall, Thompson will attend the Georgetown University School of Medicine.

This article was taken from http://www.eng.umd.edu/html/news/news_story.php?id=7350

Melchiorri Named UMD Graduate School Writing Fellow

Melchiorri was named an inaugural Writing Fellow for the Graduate School Writing Center in McKeldin Library.

“Writing Fellows, as a service to the Graduate School, provide one-on-one writing consultation for graduate students. Fellows work with graduate students within their colleges on structure, argument, disciplinary expectations, citation, voice, syntax, and, as appropriate, usage and grammar.

Writing Fellows are a select, trained group of graduate students who are outstanding in their fields, who write eloquently, and who work well with their peers.

Writing Fellows do not edit, but rather work collaboratively with students on their writing.”

More information can be found here.

Grad student Andrew Yeatts wins 2nd Place in Dean’s Doctoral Research Award

Dean Darryll Pines has announced the winners of the 2012 Dean’s Doctoral Research Award Competition:

First Place ($1,500):

Matthew Stamm, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Advisor: Professor K. J. Ray Liu (ECE)
For outstanding research on digital multimedia forensics.

Second Place ($1,000):

Andrew Yeatts, Fischell Department of Bioengineering
Advisor: Professor John Fisher
For outstanding research on the development of a tissue engineering strategy to repair bone tissue.

Third Place ($500):

Monica Syal, Department of Aerospace Engineering
Advisor: Professor J. Gordon Leishman
For outstanding research on the computational modeling of the dual-phase rotorcraft brownout problem. Dean Pines created the Dean’s Doctoral Research Award Competition to give top Clark School doctoral student researchers special recognition that will be valuable in launching their careers, and to show all students the importance of high quality engineering research. Students submitted their work through competitions at the department level. Members of department advisory boards served as judges for this competition.

Ferlin elected Communications Officer of TERMIS Student Society

Fischell Department of Engineering (BioE) graduate student Kimberly Ferlin, co-advised by Professor John Fisher (BioE) and Dr. David Kaplan (FDA), was elected to a three-year term as the Communications Officer for the Americas Branch of the Student and Young Investigator Section of TERMIS, the Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society (TERMIS SYIS-AM).

She will be responsible for increasing the online and social media presence of SYIS-AM on networks and sites including Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

Ferlin conducts her research in both Fisher’s Tissue Engineering and Biomaterials Laboratory and at the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health, where she is an ORISE Fellow. She is currently investigating the impact of cell/substrate interactions on mesenchymal stem cell enrichment, proliferation, and differentiation. Ferlin joined SYIS-AM after attending a TERMIS conference in December 2011. She plans to attend the Third TERMIS World Congress in Vienna, Austria this fall, and looks forward to meeting SYIS members from the society’s worldwide branches.

Story taken from http://www.bioe.umd.edu/news/news_story.php?id=6598</a>